When: 27 April 2022 online

Time: 13:00-14:00 CEST

Register by 26th of April. https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8pen0CtxTwW76R99P56PTg

Background

Levels of electromagnetic fields (EMF) from human-made sources have steadily increased over the past decades, prompting research on the potential adverse effects from EMF exposure on human health. However, comparably little has been published about the impact of EMF on the living environment, although it is well known that some animal and plant species can perceive electric or magnetic fields.

Most EMF exposures come from increased use of electricity and new technologies. Power grids, which mostly emit static and low frequency fields, are being restructured and expanded due to increasing electricity demand and the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to address global warming. An ever increasing number of high frequency EMF-emitting technologies are introduced into almost all areas of everyday life. New RF communication infrastructures will have new applications, including in e-health, smart cities, transport and industry.

The webinar will cover possible action mechanisms of these EMF in living systems, and biological effects from these fields as observed in plants, invertebrates and vertebrates. The current state of scientific knowledge will be summarized based on the outcome of an international workshop held in November 2019 and hosted by the German Federal Office of Radiation Protection, and a recent literature review funded by the European Parliament.

Read more at https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/04/27/default-calendar/electromagnetic-fields-effects-on-flora-and-fauna

The post WHO Webinar on Electromagnetic fields: effects on flora and fauna appeared first on EMFSA.

30-06-2021

Telecommunication networks use radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to enable wireless communication. These networks have evolved over time, and have been launched in successive generations. The fifth generation of telecommunication networks will operate at frequencies that were not commonly used in previous generations, changing the exposure of wildlife to these waves. This report reviews the literature on the exposure of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields in anticipation of this change. The review shows that dielectric heating can occur at all considered frequencies (0.4-300 GHz) and for all studied organisms. Summarising and discussing the results of a series of studies of radio-frequency electromagnetic field exposure of wildlife, the review shows that several studies into the effects of radio-frequency electromagnetic field exposure on invertebrates and plants in the frequency bands considered demonstrate experimental shortcomings. Furthermore, the literature on invertebrate and plant exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields above 6 GHz is very limited. More research is needed in this field.

External author

This study has been written by Arno Thielens, Ghent University, Belgium, at the request of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) and managed by the Scientific Foresight Unit, within the Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services (EPRS) of the Secretariat of the European Parliament.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_STU(2021)690021

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2021/690021/EPRS_STU(2021)690021_EN.pdf

The post Environmental impacts of 5G appeared first on EMFSA.